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Svenska Aero

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Svenska Aero AB
Company typeAktiebolaget
IndustryAircraft manufacturing
FoundedSeptember 10, 1921; 105 years ago (1921-09-10)
FounderErnst Heinkel, Bücker
Defunct1932 (1932)
FateAcquired by ASJA
SuccessorASJA
Headquarters
Hästholmen, Lidingö
,
Sweden
Area served
Sweden, Latvia, Norway
Key people
Bücker (CEO), Sven Blomberg (Head of design), Anders Johan Andersson (Designer)
ProductsLicensed and original aircraft designs
For Svenska Aeroplan AB, see Saab AB.
File:Svenska Aero SA-11 jaktfalken (Prototype J5).jpg

Svenska Aero AB (officially Svenska Aero Aktiebolaget, Template:Literal, abbreviated as SA) was an aircraft manufacturer based in Hästholmen, Lidingö, Sweden. Established on September 10, 1921, the company initially focused on producing aircraft under license from Caspar-Werke and Heinkel. In 1932, it was acquired by ASJA.

History

Following World War I, the German aviation sector encountered significant challenges. German airlines faced prohibitions against operating multi-engine planes, and at one point, aircraft manufacturing within Germany was entirely prohibited. By 1921, some of these restrictions were eased: civilian aircraft production was permitted but required approval from an international oversight commission and had to meet specific criteria. To circumvent these limitations and freely develop aircraft designs, several German manufacturers relocated operations abroad. In 1921, Carl Bücker [de] arranged the acquisition of a reconnaissance plane from Caspar-Werke in Travemünde. Anticipating difficulties related to the peace treaty regulations on exporting German fighter planes, Bücker investigated options to discreetly transport parts out of Germany for assembly in Sweden.

To facilitate this process, Ernst Heinkel and Bücker founded Svenska Aero in Lidingö in 1921. The contract for the aircraft was transferred from Caspar to Svenska Aero. Heinkel, along with a team of German assembly workers, temporarily relocated to Lidingö to oversee the aircraft assembly.

At that time employed as a test pilot for the navy airforce at TDS (Torpeddepartementet på flottans varv i Stockholm, meaning "the torpedo department at the navy's shipyard in Stockholm"), Bücker resigned to become CEO and sole board member of the newly established firm. The first aircraft was assembled using parts sourced from Caspar-Werke in Travemünde. While some assembly took place at Svenska Aero’s premises, final completion was handled by TDS due to Svenska Aero’s limited production capabilities. Essentially, only rudders and pontoons were produced domestically; the majority of components were clandestinely manufactured by Caspar across various sites in Germany to avoid detection by Allied forces. Between 1922 and 1923, Svenska Aero relocated to a former shipyard facility in Skärsätra on Lidingö after securing additional orders from the navy airforce. For these aircraft, parts were fabricated within Sweden by Svenska Aero but assembled by TDS. In 1928, the navy commissioned four J 4 fighters (Heinkel HD 19) equipped with pontoons—the final batch of license-built planes produced by Svenska Aero.

During the mid-1920s, Svenska Aero established its own design department aiming to develop proprietary aircraft models. Sven Blomberg, previously with Heinkel Flugzeugwerke, was appointed head of design. In 1930, Anders Johan Andersson, formerly of Messerschmitt, joined the design team. Despite these efforts, Svenska Aero developed six original models; however, manufacturing did not yield the anticipated success because the airforce preferred purchasing prototypes and then constructing subsequent units internally at their workshops TDS and CFM. This situation led to financial difficulties for the company. Consequently, in 1932 Bücker sold Svenska Aero along with its personnel to ASJA for 250,000 SEK. Following the sale, Bücker returned to Germany where he founded Bücker Flugzeugbau. Andersson accompanied him as head of design; together they produced several internationally recognized aircraft such as the Bücker Bü 181 Bestmann and Bücker Bü 133 Jungmeister. At the onset of World War II in autumn 1939, Andersson returned to Sweden and took charge of designing the twin-engine Saab 18.

Throughout its existence, Svenska Aero manufactured a total of 58 aircraft including both licensed builds and original designs. Of these, seven were exported to Latvia and one to Norway. Between 1926 and 1932, the Swedish air force procured fifteen different aircraft types; eight originated from Svenska Aero.

Original Designs

Licensed Production

Aircraft Marketed by Svenska Aero but Manufactured by Caspar/Heinkel

References

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  • Andersson, Lennart. "Heinkels for Sweden: Svenska Aero AB and Heinkel Types". Air Enthusiast, No. 78, November/December 1998. pp. 57–67.
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Template:ASJA aircraft

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